Top 15 Comic Book Villains of all Time

Super heroes, mutants and other men in tights have always been a source of inspiration for the youth and adults alike. However, with the good, comes the bad – you cannot have one without the other. Their foes have also contributed a lot to their noteworthy stature and are no less than any entity responsible for global cultural impacts. Today we have compiled a list of 15 of the best comic book villains of all time – who literally defined the word ‘bad’ in the first place:

15. Jason Todd

Betrayed by his mother, beaten to a bloody pulp by the Joker with a crowbar and left for dead in a warehouse filled with explosives, knowing that Batman would not reach in time to save him, a blast with no survivors – Just a few out of many perils the Dark Knight’s young partner faced before his fiery death.

Once resurrected by Ra’s al Ghul and enraged at the fact that Batman did not kill the Joker for taking him away from the world, Todd turned against everything he once stood for. With a new alias known as the Red Hood and knowing every trick in the book Batman taught him, Todd earned a feared name in Gotham’s underground by becoming the hostility against the very man who nurtured him as his own.

14. Bane

Bane succeeded at what all the villains failed to do. He thinks before he acts. He plans before he attacks. He devises before he strikes. Born in a Caribbean prison, Bane witnessed tragedies, exploitation and torture as a young child which lead to his first murder at the age of eight, developing astonishing skills and using intellect as the mightiest weapon in a combat.

Unlike other adversaries, Bane deduced Batman’s identity in a very short amount of time and became the only villain to ever defeat the Dark Knight in a physical challenge.

13. Ultron

The robotic menace known simply as Ultron was the result of the mechanical works conducted by Dr. Henry “Hank” Pym aka The Ant Man. As a robot with the unique ability of artificial intelligence, Ultron bit the hand that it was once fed by and developed a mind of its own – a disordered one.

Ultron’s impossibility to be reasoned with, absolute disrespect for humanity and his path of destruction knows no boundaries as his catastrophes has even convinced the Avengers that because of constant learning and self-upgrading, the chaotic robot can never be permanently stopped.

12. Catwoman

Selina Kyle is perhaps the most unique femme fatale ever. Being one of the few villains who is aware of the secret identity of his adversary Batman; Catwoman holds the reputation of being the most unpredictable comic book villain of all time.

Unlike many villains, affiliation and trust is out of the question when it comes to the seductive, yet treacherous Selina. Despite having an on and off relationship with Batman himself, the latter has always kept his eyes open when it comes to crimes involving the cat burglar.

11. Red Skull

Over the years, the identity of Red Skull has varied; ranging to three different individuals. Nonetheless, the super villain has a fair share of involvement in few of the most aggressive and brutal events in Marvel history such as aiding Adolf Hitler in his nefarious plots, ordered the assassination of Captain America and most notably, killing Richard and Mary Parker (the parents of Peter Parker aka Spider-Man).

10. Two-Face

Formerly a man of honor as the District Attorney of Gotham City and an ally of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and the Caped Crusader in their battle against crime and disorder, Harvey Dent was disfigured by an acid thrown on one-half of his face, driving him clinically insane. The tragic hero set out on a law-breaking spree; making decisions with the flip of his coin.

Taking on an alias known as Two-Face, the people of Gotham lost all hope when they saw someone as pure as Harvey fall into dishonesty and corruption.

9. Loki

Adoptive brother and nemesis of god of thunder Thor, Loki has been a major threat to not only his species but also to the team of Avengers and their planet. Hailed as the god of mischief, Loki has been one of the most feared and remorseful comic book villains of all time.

Convinced that his merciless behavior and disrespect to anything sane is not a one-on-one play, Nick Fury reluctantly called upon Earth’s mightiest heroes to assemble in order to be stop this dreaded menace.

8. Venom

Eddie Brock, Jr. was an ordinary man once. After an interaction with the alien symbiote that once contaminated Spider-Man, Venom was born.

Empowered with all of Spidey’s powers and negligence of moral conduct, Venom proved to be the most sadistic and resentful villain for anyone who dared to cross his path.

7. Carnage

Some become evil. Others are born that way. Cletus Kasady was a homicidal maniac from day one; killing his grandmother and mother as a child and that was just the start of his increasing cruelty towards humanity.

His quest for destruction combined with the never ending hunger for massacre makes Carnage the most dangerous villain of Spider-Man; who made a deal with the devil by joining forces with Venom in order to defeat the mighty foe.

6. Doomsday

Apart from invulnerability, superhuman strength and speed, Doomsday is one of those super villains who lets no one rise above him. He supports none and leaves a mark in his path of destruction.

What makes Doomsday the best Superman villain is the fact that he is the only one who killed the Man of Steel in his prime.

5. Lex Luthor

Despite having no super powers and being physically nothing more than a common man, Alexander Joseph “Lex” Luthor has still received the reputation of Superman’s most deadliest villain.

Grasping reality by relying on political power and intellect, Luthor believes that he is, in fact, saving the world from an alien force (Superman being a native of planet Krypton) and sought to any means necessary to eliminate the Man of Steel.

4. Green Goblin

Norman Osborn forever changed when he embodied the mysterious and menacing persona known as the Green Goblin. With a thirst for annihilation, Green Goblin has caused numerous heartbreaks in Spiderman’s life such as the murder of his girlfriend Gwen Stacy and nearly killing Aunt May.

3. Doctor Doom

Dr. Victor Von Doom has been one of the most feared and sinister super villains ever to be published on a comic book. Powered with high level intellect and sorcery, victims of Doctor Doom’s wrath has been innumerable; including several faces of Marvel Comics such as the Avengers, X-Men, Iron Man, Spiderman and most notably, the Fantastic Four.

2. Magneto

Convinced that homo-sapiens and homo-superiors can never coexist, Professor Erik Lensherr began on a quest to wipe out the human race from the entire world.

Gifted with a strong ability of magnetism manipulation, Magneto parted ways with his onetime friend, Professor Charles Xavier (aka Professor X) and founded Brotherhood of Mutants after finding out that his partner aims peace among the two species. Whereas for Magneto, peace was never the option.

1. The Joker

Unlike all of the villains in any major comic books corporation, the mysterious terrorist known only as the Joker has never been materialistic. In fact, Joker’s only goal has been to leave dead bodies everywhere as he goes to raise mayhem and chaos instead of targeting power or wealth.

The clown prince of crime has been responsible for countless tragedies in Batman’s life such as murdering Jason Todd (the second Robin), crippling Barbara Gordon (the second Batgirl), driving Lieutenant Jim Gordon insane etc, which easily makes him the ultimate comic book villain ever.

That sums up our list of top 15 comic book villains of all time. Which one of the above mentioned comic book villains has scared you the most? Share with us your thoughts in the comments section below!